


The Other Side of Paradise

by sspacetre



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Billy Hargrove Lives, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Denial of Feelings, Erica and Dustin give Steve relationship advice, Eventual Romance, Families of Choice, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Post-Episode: s03e08 The Battle of Starcourt, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Wingman Robin Buckley, filling in the '3-month later' gap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:46:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23403958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sspacetre/pseuds/sspacetre
Summary: Steve Harrington's life was fairly normal until he got caught up in all this Upside Down bullshit. Now he has to take care of all these damn kids, and figure out how in the hell Billy Hargrove survived.(Or: AU where Billy lives and it changes everything, and Steve cares a hell of a lot more than he lets on.)
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 73





	The Other Side of Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by The Other Side of Paradise by Glass Animals. //
> 
> Hello everyone! It’s been a while since S3 was released (over a year omg) but I so desperately wanted to write a fix-it because they all deserved better. I originally started this fic back in April, but it sat here abandoned for a while until I decided to rewrite it! 
> 
> It was so enjoyable rewriting this first chapter, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
> 
> Fair warning before we start, there’s going to be a good amount of angst in the first few chapters of this fic. Nothing too serious, just showing inner thoughts of the characters while also turning the trauma level up a bit. This fic turned into somewhat of a character study too. There will be multiple POV’s in every chapter, but as the story progresses the POV’s will focus more on Billy and Steve than anyone else.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy <3 this will take place after they defeat the Mind Flayer in the mall.

It was finally over. The Mindflayer was gone. The monster had laid dead before their eyes. It seemed like it all happened so fast, and Steve felt like he was having trouble keeping up. 

Steve leaned against what was one of the many ambulances surrounding the debris of what used to be the mall, thinking about what the hell he had just witnessed. What all of them had witnessed. He feels dread rush over him for a moment. When they’re fighting monsters from alternate dimensions and shit, he tends to forget that Dustin and the others are still just kids. He knows they’re strong, but he doesn’t think they should have to be the ones to deal with all this crazy bullshit.

Speaking of the others. He looked up from where his gaze was fixed on the concrete, and did a quick headcount of everyone. Just to make sure they were alright. To his right were Mike and that quiet girl Eleven, who were occupying the same ambulance he was leaning against. He had decided earlier to give them some space away from other people, and snuck around to lean on the side of the vehicle instead of loitering near the back where they were sat. In the vehicle next to them sat Will, who was searching intently for Joyce. It looked as if nobody had seen any sign of her yet. Steve didn’t know her very well, but she seemed sweet. He could tell she cared about her kids more than anything. He envied Will and Jonathan, in a way. He didn’t have quite the same experience with loving parents. 

A bit farther away from the rest of them, across from Will, sat Max and Robin. They didn’t really know each other well, but he could tell Robin was trying her best to offer her support. To be a shoulder for Max to cry on, even if it was just for the short time they were sat in this parking lot. He was grateful for Robin. He can’t imagine what Max must be going through right now. 

He couldn’t seem to catch sight of Dustin, Lucas, Nancy or Jonathan. He assumed they were around here somewhere; it was a big parking lot, after all. 

Things had been chaotic ever since they defeated the Mind Flayer. Nobody had gotten the chance to rest until the whole damn town supply of ambulances showed up, along with firefighters and the whole support team of Hawkins Lab, too. It was an unrestful scene; soldiers running around, trying to make sense of what had happened here. He wondered what would happen a year from now, if the Mind Flayer ever did return. He seriously doubted it, but still he pushed the question to the back of his mind, hoping they didn’t ever have to find the answer.

He saw movement from the corner of his eye, and noticed Will had stood and ran to his Mom. He hadn’t seen when Joyce had returned, too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice. 

The sad scene plays out before him: Eleven has now gotten up too, looking worriedly around for any sign of Hopper. The look on Joyce’s tear-stained face confirms it. Hopper isn’t with her, and he’s not coming back. He really feels for the poor kid, finding someone who cares about you and was willing to take care of you, just to lose them so quickly. She starts to sob, and Mike quickly runs over to comfort her. They stay like that for a while, and have now sunk to the ground, Mike trying to help her best he can.

They’ve all been through so much. He’s so tired of it all. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Nobody was supposed to die. He supposes, though, that with interdimensional monsters and such, death is to be expected most times. As much as Steve hates admitting it, he has a hard time dealing with the reality of all this bullshit. He knows he wouldn’t ever let anyone know that, either. 

He doesn’t know what else to do, so he sits down in the ambulance nearest to him and closes his eyes, wanting to rest for a second. He hopes all this is finally over. That they can hopefully be free of having to worry about what's around the corner. He knows things will probably never truly be over, but hangs on to the relief he feels only for a moment. 

____

They’re allowed to leave the scene, eventually. The people from the Lab make sure to take witness accounts from all of them, in order to accurately cover-up the situation, as they’ve done so many times in the past. You’d think they would be pros at this by now, Steve thinks to himself. They’re going to release the story that there was a fire that destroyed the mall, and that was that. It's not entirely untrue, either.

Not to mention the fact that his BMW is sitting nice and shiny in his parents’ driveway, and the stolen car he’d been using was destroyed and, well, _stolen._ As much as he wasn’t looking forward to the awkwardness of it all, he was going to have to hitch a ride. 

He did a quick scan of the parking lot to see who was still present.. It looked as if most everyone had gone home already, presumably too exhausted for farewells. Most of the Party was no longer at the mall. Nancy was gone, too. And Robin. 

One of the only remaining cars left in the parking lot, at least, the only car he recognized, was the green Ford Pinto belonging to Joyce Byers. Will, Jonathan, Joyce, and Eleven stood around the car, seeming to be in a conversation. He assumed that Eleven was going to be staying with the Byers’ for a while, considering what had happened to- well, you know.

And listen, if Steve considers walking home for a second, it's nobody's buisness. It's not like he’s exactly eager to share an awkward 15-or-so-minutes with his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend. 

At least, that's what he tells himself. If he’s being honest with himself, he still kind of feels like a total dick about what he said to Jonathon in that alleyway 2 years ago. He knows he should probably be over it, he apologized and whatnot, and he’s sure Jonathan doesn’t hate him anymore, but he can’t help but think back to the things he said about Will and Joyce, too. 

God, he was such an asshole back then.

Trying not to think about how strange he must be looking right about now, standing here all gloomy and shit, he puts his hands in the pockets of his ruined Scoops Ahoy uniform and begins walking over to them. They have stopped their previous conversation, and are opening their car doors and look to be getting ready to leave. 

Attempting, and failing, to seem the least awkward as he possibly can, Steve waves them down and tells them his car situation: “Uh- hey guys!” He calls to them. They were parked pretty far, and he’s still making his way over to them.

When he gets to them, Joyce responds, “Oh, hi Steve. Is… something wrong? I’d have thought you would have gone home by now, it's so late.”

“Well, I would’ve, but I don’t really have a ride. My BMW is at home and that other car… y’know. I crashed it, so. No bueno.”

“Oh, I see. Well, that’s ok then. We can take you home, it’s no problem.”

“Thanks, Ms. Byers, ” Steve wanders over to the right side of the car and stands there awkwardly for a moment. He can tell that none of them seem in a talkative mood. It’s not exactly hard to guess why. 

Joyce lets out a small smile for a moment, and responds, “No need for that. Call me Joyce.”

“Thanks then, Joyce.” 

Jonathan speaks up, but only for a moment to say something to Joyce: “Hey Mom, I can tell you’re tired. Let me drive back.” He wears a concerned expression on his face.

She smiles at her son and answers, “Yeah.. That would be nice, Jonathan. Thanks. I’m exhausted.” She lets out a yawn.

“I know, Mom. It's ok.”

He moves to sit in the backseat, assuming that Will or Joyce will want to sit in the passenger's seat. Will and Eleven are already getting into the left and middle backseats on the other side of the car, and Steve moves to get in too when Joyce stops him. 

“That’s ok, I can sit in the back.” Joyce says.

“Oh, are you sure?”

Joyce then motions to both Will and Eleven sitting in the backseat, and gives him a look that tells him she’s worried about them. After everything in the past few weeks, he understands. 

“It’s fine. Really.”

“Alright.”

Steve takes a few steps forward to the passenger door and steps in the car. Jonathan turns to ask him where his address is, and then they leave the mall without a second thought about the Mind Flayer, or any of it. 

____

On the drive back from the mall, Max and her mom sit in a tense silence. Max sat with her arms crossed, and stared out the window. She thought she deserved to be a little upset. Okay, a _lot_ upset. She always kept up her tough facade, but not anymore. They defeated the Mind Flayer, but she feels as if she was the one who was defeated. 

And then Billy… 

She pushes the memory to the back of her mind. She feels her eyes start to well up again, and brings her arm up to her eyes to soak up the wetness from the tears that threaten to fall.

She doesn’t want her Mom to see her cry, if she’s being honest. She knows it sounds stupid, but she has no idea what really happened at the mall tonight.

The paramedics called her Mom to come pick her up, and she was there almost immediately. Nursing over her and asking her about what happened. She just looked at her and said what the Lab had told them to say: “There was a big fire, I guess. They’re still trying to find out the cause. They’re probably gonna talk about it on the news, or something…”

Her Mom’s only response was: “Then… Oh, honey… why are you so upset over a fire?”

She didn’t answer. 

So here they were now, sitting in this silent car, listening to the tires drive down the road. She could tell her Mom was on edge.

All of a sudden, she speaks up to ask Max a question. “Oh, Max… I’m so glad you’re okay. By the way, have you seen Billy? I haven’t heard from him, and you know how Neil will get if he comes home late… ” Oh, god. Max visibly tenses up, taking all her willpower not to tear up again. 

She feels weird, lying to her mom about something like this.

“No, Mom… I, uh, haven’t seen him…”

“Do you think he was at the mall when the fire started? What if something happened to him?”

Something _did_ happen to him, Max thinks. Just not what you think. Max feels like she could break down any second now. 

“They would have _told_ us if he was at the mall, Mom!” She doesn’t mean to snap, so she lowers her tone before continuing. “Maybe call the sheriff in the morning if he never shows up.”

She’s sure that somebody will call them up tomorrow. Tell them all about what happened to Billy. Make up some story so that the Lab can cover their own asses. For now, she’s just going to have to act like she has no idea what happened. That’s her only option. She can’t exactly tell her mom the truth, no matter how desperately she wants to be comforted right now.

Even so, she can’t help that drop she feels in the pit of her stomach when she tries to explain it to herself again.

Susan glances at her again, and nods. Max had almost forgotten they were talking. “Yeah, alright. I’m sure the sheriff will understand if I call, with the mall incident. I’m sure he’s fine. I’ll just explain to Neil that…” She starts to rant to herself, trying to reassure herself. To Max, it sounds like she’s more worried about what Neil is going to say about it rather than being concerned about Billy’s possible whereabouts.

Max drowns her out, and turns her attention back to the window. They haven’t been driving for long, but to Max, it seems somewhat like an eternity.

After another few quiet minutes, they finally pull into the driveway of the Hargrove house. Neil’s car is in the driveway, as usual. Max is quick to open her car door and storm out. All she wants right now is to be alone with her thoughts. She doesn’t want to deal with any of this. 

Luckily, the front door is already unlocked, so she doesn’t have to wait for her mom to dig through her purse for the keys. 

Neil is there in the living room. Watching sports, and doing nothing else in particular. Before she even fully enters through the door, the first words out of his mouth are exactly what she expects. Without even looking up from his sports game, he questions Max: “Where’s Billy. He’s late again. Is he with you?” Wow, ok, Max thinks. Straight to the point are we? Not even a hello? Not that Max would want one from him, anyways.

She doesn’t want to speak to him at all. But she has to, or they could really be in trouble. When she thinks back, Billy was always the one who took the blame. Most of the time, it was her who deserved it, but he took accountability for her. He ended up with scars that ran deeper than physical bruises. 

Max tells Neil the same thing she told Susan. “No. I haven’t seen him. Sorry.” She doesn’t say anything else, and walks back to her room so she doesn’t have to see the look on Neil’s face when he says, “I’m going to kill that kid when he gets back.” Max flinches, just because his sentence felt something like salt in a wound, and she quickly closes the door behind her. 

She’s so tired. As much as she wants to be alone right now, she wishes there was someone she could talk to, just to get everything off her chest. And when her mom finally comes into the house from the car, she can tell that’s when the fighting and arguing starts. She lays down, and puts her arms over her eyes and when the tears start flowing, they don’t stop. 

She wishes her brother were here. 

And later that night, if she grabs a pillow from Billy’s room because it makes her feel a little less alone, nobody needs to know.

____

The car ride to Steve’s place seemed longer than it really is. Will and Joyce have both fallen asleep in the backseat, despite them only having been driving for 10 minutes or so. Eleven is still awake, though, looking to be deep in thought as she stares out the window.

Steve and Jonathan sit in an uncomfortable silence in the front of the car as they make their way down the dark roads of Loch Nora, the neighborhood where Steve lives. When they eventually arrive at Steve’s place, the lights are dark and the only car in the driveway is his own, right where he left it.

Looks like his parents are out on another “business trip” or whatever. Sometimes, he feels like these constant trips are just excuses to get away from him. He guesses he should have moved out of this shithole town by now, anyways.

He thanks Jonathan for driving, and asks him to thank Joyce for him as well. Jonathan says he will.

When he opens his door to leave, though, Jonathan stops him.

“This is gonna sound totally weird coming from me, I know, but… I just wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me for what, man?” Steve feels a bit confused about Jonathan’s words. He really isn’t sure what he’s being thanked for, like, at all. Eleven is listening to their conversation in the backseat, trying not to look like she’s eavesdropping. Steve knows that she’s definitely eavesdropping.

“Just for… watching over all the kids, I guess. Thanks for trying to keep them out of trouble. Especially Will. I can tell they all look up to you a lot.”

Oh. “It’s no problem, man. Someone needs to keep an eye on them while they’re out doing stupid shit.” Jonathan lets out a small chuckle. 

“It’s just that Will never really had anyone else to look up to like you. Besides, y’know, his lame older brother.” Jonathan shrugs.

“You’re not lame, dude. Not anymore, at least.” Steve jokes lightheartedly, not wanting to seem like he’s being rude for real.

“You neither, man. See you later.” 

Steve steps out of the car and watches as the car pulls away from the driveway, and makes its way back down the street. 

The quick conversation was out of nowhere, but he supposes it was nice to be appreciated. Those kids really do some _stupid_ shit sometimes. He’d rather they not majorly injure themselves doing something dumb, like for example fighting an interdimensional Mind Flayer. Or something like that. It’s good to know that Jonathan and him are still on good terms, too.

He turns back to the empty house, gets the spare key out from underneath the “Welcome” mat, since his original keys were taken when he was being interrogated by the Russians. He unlocks the door and steps into the quiet house. 

The first thing Steve does is change out of his ruined Scoops Ahoy uniform. It’s not like he’ll be needing it anytime soon. Or ever, he thinks, since Scoops burned down with the rest of the mall. He looks in his closet, and decides on a plain black T-shirt and some red-plaid sleeping pants that his grandmother had bought for him a few Christmases ago. 

He runs a hand through his hair as he makes his way back downstairs, not exactly tired enough to fall asleep just yet. He grabs an ice pack out of the freezer for his black eye that was so graciously gifted to him by the Russians who had interrogated him. He sits down on the living room couch, and eyes the spiked bat that leans against the small table next to him. He didn’t even remember that it was here. Steve doesn’t really feel stupid for leaving it here, though, because he’s not sure it would have been that useful against the Mind Flayer. He didn’t really want to permanently injure the Flayed with it, either.

He organizes his thoughts back to the present, and puts the ice over his eye as he turns on some boring sitcom on the television. He _tries_ to pay attention to it, just to get his mind off things, but to no avail. It really is just that boring.

He sighs, and his thoughts begin to wander once more. He can’t help but think about how the Party is doing, if they’re all ok. He would never admit it to them, but he actually _cares_ about those little shits. 

Steve can’t imagine what Max must be going through right now. With what happened to Billy- he just doesn’t know.

And ok, sure, Billy Hargrove was a total asshole, he’s not denying that. 

But he didn’t- he didn’t deserve that, Steve thinks. To die the way he did. He saved them. If he hadn’t done what he did, they might all be dead right now. And for that, Steve might even thank him, if he’s being honest. He didn’t ever think he would be saying that, but here he is. 

Steve can’t thank Billy, though. He’s gone, and he’s not coming back.

Steve reflects on everything that's happened in the past few weeks, and eventually ends up falling asleep on the couch, the ice pack now melted, and the lights in the house left on.

____

Max wakes up to the sound of the phone ringing.

She opens her eyes, and sees the light that filters through her windows into her room. 

She wants to pull the covers back up over her head, and sleep for the next _year_ at least. She really doesn’t want to deal with anything at all today. She doesn’t think she can handle it, if she’s being honest with herself.

Max groans, and glances over to the digital clock that sits on the edge of her bedside table. The green numbers brightly tell her that it's 9 in the morning. 

The phone has stopped ringing now, and Max assumes that her mom had answered it.

She gets out of bed, and tries to rub the tiredness out of her eyes as she opens the door to her room and steps outside to see who her mom is talking to. 

The conversation is concerning. She can’t make out what the person on the other line is talking about, but it’s not that hard to understand on her end. Her mom speaks quickly:

“Oh. Are you sure no one has seen him?... I see. He’s missing, isn’t he?”

And Max’s heart aches, as the words are spoken. Missing. God, how she wish that were true, instead. She feels tears prick at the corners of her eyes again and-

No. She won’t cry. Her mom speaks up once again, not noticing Max standing a few feet away from her, listening.

“Oh, God. I mean- I- What are we supposed to do? How do we find him? Oh, God… You’re putting him on the missing persons list? What will that do?” Her mom goes on for a few minutes, asking questions to the person on the other line, and sounding surprisingly concerned.

And then, she says something that leaves Max speechless: “Please, sir, just help me find my son.” And the sentence sounds so oddly familiar.

Son. Billy was her family, too. Her mom would miss him, but she’s not so sure about Neil. Max never really thought about it before. She always knew her mom cared about Billy. She had always tried to stand up for him. Max wished he were here now. She thinks he might’ve cried, if he had heard Susan say that. 

She misses him so much.

She turns around to head back to her room and closes the door. She feels like everything is happening in slow motion. She puts her hands over her eyes, and lets herself sink down against the door. She can’t help it, but she starts sobbing. She feels like that simple sentence spoken by her mom broke her, as if she were made of glass, and shattered.

She wasn’t here when Will disappeared, but she starts to wonder if this is what Joyce and Jonathan felt like.

And for a moment, she thinks she finally understands why nobody wanted to tell her about Will.

____

“Heeeeyyyy, Steve!”

Steve wakes up probably the most unexpected awakening of the year.

He opens his eyes to Robin’s freckled face leaning over him. She looks like she’s about to laugh. When he starts to sit up, she takes a few steps back. He realizes he must have fallen asleep on the couch.

Steve rubs his eyes, suddenly feeling wide awake when he realizes Robin is literally _in his house._ “Ok wait- what the hell are you doing in my house? How did you even get in here?”

“Well, I guess I just thought I would see how you’re doing, yknow? That was some crazy shit last night, dude.”

“So… you broke into my house to ask me how I was doing? How do you even know where I live?” Steve feels like he should be mad, but honestly, that sounds exactly like something she would do if he’s being honest. And he’s not mad, not even a little bit. He’s just so confused about what the hell is going on right now.

“Uh- yeah, I guess I did huh. Uh, sorry, by the way. You should really remember to lock your front door next time, otherwise some crazy person like me will just walk right in. Also, you’re Steve Harrington, everyone knows where you live. Coffee?” She holds out a mug to him that says “#1 Dad” on the front. 

“You made coffee? Robin, literally what? Also, not _everybody_ knows where I live, okay-“ Despite his confusion, he takes the mug out of her hands and takes a small sip. It’s not half bad.

She shrugs, and responds, “Whatever you say, dude.” 

She’s silent for a moment before speaking again, seeming to collect her thoughts.

“Y’know, I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Robin’s eyes drop to the floor, and something in her face changes.

“Seen what?”

She looks back up at him again. “Last night. That _thing._ The Mind-“ she gulps, “the Mind Flayer. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I didn’t used to believe in paranormal shit and all that. But that was… something else. Billy Hargrove, huh? He’s the least person I would have expected to be Flayed.”

“Yeah, it was less than ideal. And even though he was an asshole-“

“Such an asshole.” Robin frowns. She doesn’t say it to be mean. It’s just that, she feels horrible for what happened to him. Even if he was an asshole.

Steve continues, “-he didn’t deserve what happened to him. You know, I kinda wish there was something we could have done. Not just for him, but for all those people…” 

Robin looks at him sadly. He remembered what she said yesterday, when he asked her if she was ok. _“Ask me tomorrow,”_ she had said. 

Steve speaks up again, “Since it’s tomorrow, I think I should ask… are you ok?”

Robin thinks for a second, and then shoots a small smile at him. “I’ll be alright, dingus. It’s just a lot to take in, that these things are real right here in this shitty town.” Robin laughs for a moment. Steve lets out a few chuckles too.

She stops laughing, and crosses her arms. “I didn’t want to be alone, dude. I know that sounds lame. It’s not like my parents were much comfort either.” Robin says.

Steve gets it. He really does. “It’s ok, really. I don’t think it’s lame. Did you sneak out?”

“Nah. My parents work early. I just sorta left. They probably wouldn’t have noticed, anyway. And where are your beloved family members, Harrington?”

Steve lets out a small laugh. “‘Beloved’ isn’t exactly the word I would use for my family members.”

“Oh, tough love I see?” She frowns again. “That’s rough, dude. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Idiot.” Steve smiles at her.

“Dingus.”

Steve understands why he liked her. It was always so easy to talk to her, she would always find a way to make you laugh. It’s funny, he thinks, because now he can’t see her as anything more than a friend.

It goes quiet for a minute before either of them speak again.

“Hey, by the way, I was never sure what happened and I didn’t want to be rude and ask but- can I hear it from the beginning? About what happened to Will Byers in ‘83? I’m guessing that's when this crazy stuff started.”

“It’s a long story. Seriously, you might wanna sit down for this one. So, it all started when Will Byers went missing…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was that! Here’s to starting this fic, for good this time :)


End file.
